Dispenser head



United States Patent 3,300,093 DISPENSER HEAD Henry I. Keves and Melvin E. Leverenz, St. Clair, MiClL, assignors to Diamond Crystal Salt Co., St. Clair, Mich.,

a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 427,558 6 Claims. (Cl. 222109) This invention relates to a dispensing head for accurately dispensing a controlled volume of liquid and more particularly to a dispensing head having means to preclude the drippage of liquid therefrom during the time when liquid is not being dispensed.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a liquid dispensing head of simple design and durable operation that is adapted to dispense a controlled volume of a variety of liquids into each of a succession of receptacles rapidly moving past the discharge head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing head for accurately dispensing a controlled volume of liquid into each of a series of receptacles conveyed past a dispensing outlet of the dispensing head and to preclude the drippage of liquid from the dispensing outlet at the time when liquid is not being dispensed.

A dispensing head embodying this invention is adapted to selectively deliver accurately measured quantities of liquid. The dispensing head comprises a housing having a dispensing outlet and a bypass return outlet. A nozzle is supported within the housing at a spaced location from the outlets to discharge a continuous stream of liquid in the housing. The nozzle is supported for movement between a first position wherein liquid is dispensed from the dispensing outlet and a second position wherein liquid is delivered to a by-pass return outlet. A drippiage reducing means is provided for establishing a pressure differential between the dispensing outlet and a point contiguous to the bypass return outlet during at least a portion of the time when the nozzle is not in the first position for collecting liquid droplets from the dispensing outlet and returning them to the by-pass return outlet.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, with portions broken away, of a dispensing head embodying this invention and a schematic illustration of the dispensing head in a dispensing system;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now in detail to the dnawings, a dispensing head embodying this invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 11. The dispensing head 11 is particularly adapted for use in a liquid dispensing system of the type shown in my United States Patent No. 3,065,775, issued November 27, 1962, and entitled, Liquid Dispensing Apparatus. Since this invention relates primarily to the dispensing head 11 per se, the remainder of the dispensing apparatus is not described in detail and is illustrated only schematically. Reference may be had to my aforementioned patent for details of the dispensing system other than the dispensing head 11.

Referring now specifically to dispensing head 11, it comprises a sheet metal housing 12 having vertically extending side walls 13 and 14. The side wall 14 forms a vertically extending opening 15 which may be closed by a suitable plate (not shown). A vertically extending rear wall 16 integrally connects the side walls 13 and 14. The side 13 has an inwardly extending tab 17 that provides a central aperture 18 so that a front cover plate (not shown) 3,300,093 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 ICC may be afiixed to the housing 12. An end cap 19 is affixed to the side Walls 13 land 14 and end wall 16 in any suitable manner and has an attaching bracket 21 for affixing the dispensing head 11 to any suitable support mechanism.

The lower end of the housing 12 terminates in an angularly disposed funnel shaped portion 22. The funnel shaped portion 22 has a front wall 24 and an inclined lower wall 25 both of which may be formed integrally with the remaining walls of the housing 12. A rear wall 26 extends at an angle and converges toward the substantially planar front wall 24. An inclined upper wall 27 completes the inlet end of the funnel shaped section 22. A generally cylindrical by-pass return outlet 28 may be formed integrally at the lower end of the funnel shaped portion 22.

A liquid inlet tube 29 extends into the hollow interior of the housing 12 and is afi'ixed thereto at the side wall 14 in any suitable manner, as by Welding or soldering. The outlet end of the liquid inlet tube 29 is connected to a discharge nozzle 31 by means of a flexible boot 32 that may be formed from plastic or any similar material. The discharge nozzle 31 is supported upon an outwardly extending arm 33 of a depending lever 34. The upper end of the lever 34 is affixed for rotation with a shaft 35 of the rotary solenoid or the like, indicated generally by the reference numeral 36. The rotary solenoid is supported by the rear wall 16 of the housing 12.

A tubular member 37 is supported by the lower wall 25 of the funnel shaped portion 22 and extends through an aperture in it. The tubular member 37 has :a stepped bore 38 extending therethrough that terminates at its lower end in a dispensing outlet 39. The upper end of the tubular member 37 is cut off at a first angular plane to form an inclined surface 41 that extends substantially parallel to the lower wall 25 at a slight distance above its upper surface. A second plane intersects the plane that defines the surface 41 and defines a surface 42 that is inclined at a considerably steeper angle than the surface 41. The periphery of the tubular member 37 around the surface 41 is provided with a bevel 43 to provide a knife edge along this surface of the tubular member 37 for reasons which will become more apparent as this description proceeds.

An anti-drip plate, indicated generally by the reference numeral 44, is supported above the lower wall 25 of the funnel shaped portion 22. The "anti-drip plate 44 has a first part 45 that extends to the upper end of the lower Wall 25. A longitudinally extending slot 46 that terminates in a V-shaped portion 47 is formed in the part 45. The V-shaped portion 47 slightly overlies the surface 41 of the tubular member 37, as best seen in FIGURE 3. The part 45 terminates in an integral depending part 48 that extends into the lower portion of the funnel shaped section 22 and terminates contiguous to the by-pass return outlet 28. The lower edge of the part 48 terminates at a small distance above the lower wall 25 to define a gap 49 between adjacent surfaces of the lower wall 25 and the anti-drip plate 44. A pair o-f inwardly extending tangs 51 support the anti-drip plate 44 within the funnel shaped portion 22 and maintain the spacing between the lower surface of the plate 44 and the upper surface of the lower wall 25. The part 45 is bounded by a pair of upwardly extending walls 52 and 53, the latter of which may :be affixed to the front wall 24 of the housing 12.

In operation, a liquid under pressure is drawn from a sump 54 (FIGURE 1) by a pump 55 for discharge through a conduit 56 that is interconnected to the inlet the nozzle 31, as shown in the solid line view of FIGURE 1, the liquid will be discharged through the funnel shaped portion 22 into the by-pass outlet 28. The fluid that flows from the funnel shaped portion 22 and by-pass outlet 28 is returned to the sump 54 by a conduit, indicated schematically by the line 57 in FIGURE 1. When it is desired to dispense liquid to a container or other article that may be positioned directly under the dispensing outlet 39 by a conveyor or the like, the rotary solenoid 36 is actuated to rotate the nozzle 31 to the angular position shown in the dotted line view of FIGURE 1. The contact of the nozzle 31 with the adjacent side of the tubular member 37 may be utilized to limit the movement of the nozzle 31 in this direction. When the nozzle 31 is in registry with the passage 38, the stream of liquid, the flow of which has not been interrupted, will be discharged from the dispensing outlet 39. When it is desired to cease the dispensing of the liquid, the rotary solenoid 36 is again permitted to return the nozzle 31 to the solid line position shown in FIGURE 1.

During the transition from the dispensing to the by passing positions, the fluid discharge from the nozzle 31 will impinge upon the drip collecting plate 44 and particularly upon its upper surface. The initial impingement will occur at the V-shaped portion 47 of the part 45 and the point of impingement Will move down the plate 44 as the discharge nozzle 31 is pivoted to its non-dispensing position. In all events, a portion of the liquid flow will impinge upon the upper surface of the plate 44 and flow by gravity toward the by-pass discharge outlet. The flow across the end part 48 of the plate 44 above the gap 49 creates a low pressure area at the gap 49. The low pressure is transmitted beneath the plate 44 to a gap 58 that exists between the lower surface of the part 45 of the plate 44 and the inclined surface 41 of the tubular member 37. The low pressure in this area draws any liquid droplets that may have accumulated upon the tubular member 37 to the by-pass outlet 28 of the dispensing head 11. Drippage from the tubular member 37, therefore, will be precluded.

While it will be apparent that the embodiment of the invention herein described is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispensing head for selectively delivering accurately measured quantities of a liquid comprising a housing having a dispensing outlet and a by-pass return outlet, a nozzle supported within said housing at a spaced location from said outlets and adapted to discharge a continuous stream of liquid in said housing, means supporting said nozzle for selective movement between first and second positions, said nozzle being in registry with said dispensing outlet in said first position for discharging a tream of liquid from said dispensing outlet and being adapted to deliver substantially all of its liquid flow to said by-pass return outlet when in its second position, and means for establishing a pressure differential between said dispensing outlet and a point contiguous to said by-pass return outlet during at least a portion of the movement of said nozzle from said first to said second position for collecting liquid droplets from said dispensing outlet and returning them to said bypass return outlet.

2. A dispensing head for selectively delivering accurately measured quantities of a liquid comprising a housing having a dispensing outlet and a by-pass return outlet, a nozzle supported within said housing at a spaced location fromsaid outlets and adapted to discharge a continuous stream of liquid in said housing, means supporting said nozzle for selective pivotal movement between first and second angular positions, said nozzle being in registry with said dispensing outlet in said first angular position for discharging a stream of liquid from said dispensing outlet and being adapted to deliver substantially all of its liquid flow to said by-pass return outlet when in its second angular position, and means for establishing a pressure differential between said dispensing outlet and a point contiguous to said by-pass return outlet during at least the initial portion of the pivotal movement of said nozzle from said first angular position to said second angular position for collecting liquid droplets from said dispensing outlet and returning them to said by-pass return outlet.

3. A dispensing head for selectively delivering accurately measured quantitie of a liquid comprising a housing having a dispensing outlet formed by a tubular member extending through one wall of said housing, a by-pass return outlet in said housing, a nozzle supported within said housing at a spaced location from said outlets and adapted to discharge a continuous stream of liquid in said housing, means for directing the stream of liquid from said nozzle selectively to an inlet end of said tubular member for dispensing liquid from said dispensing outlet and to said by-pass return outlet for discontinuing the dispensing of liquid, and a plate aflixed within said housing and having a part overlying at least a portion of the inlet end of said tubular member to define a narrow gap therebetween, said plate having another part with a surface thereof closely spaced from an adjacent surface of said housing, said another part being adapted to experience liquid flow thereacross during at least a portion of the time when liquid from said nozzle is not being discharged from said dispensing outlet for creating a pressure differential between said narrow gap and the closely spaced surfaces of said housing and said plate to draw collected liquid droplets from said tubular member.

4. A dispensing head for selectively delivering accurately measured quantities of a liquid comprising a housing having a dispensing outlet formed by a tubular member extending through one wall of said housing, a by-pass return outlet in said housing, a nozzle supported within said housing at a spaced location from said outlets and adapted to discharge a continuous stream of liquid in said housing, means supporting said nozzle for selective movement between first and second positions, said nozzle being in registry with an inlet end of said tubular member in said first position for discharging a stream of liquid from said dispensing outlet and being adapted to deliver substantially all of its liquid flow to said by-pass return outlet when in its second position, and a plate aflfixed within said housing and having a part overlying at least a portion of the inlet end of said tubular member to define a narrow gap therebetween, said plate having another part with a surface thereof closely spaced from an adjacent surface of said housing contiguous to said by-pass return outlet, said another part being adapted to experience liquid flow thereacross during at least a portion of the time when said nozzle is not in said first position for creating a pressure differential between said narrow gap and the closely spaced surfaces of said housing and said plate to draw collected droplets from said tubular member to said bypass return outlet.

5. A dispensing head for selectively delivering accurately measured quantities of a liquid comprising a housing having a dispensing outlet formed by a tubular member extending through one wall of said housing, a 'by-pass return outlet in said housing, a nozzle supported within said housing at a spaced location from said outlets and adapted to discharge a continuous stream of liquid in aid housing, means supporting said nozzle for selective pivotal movement between first and second angular positions, said nozzle being in registry with an inlet end of said tubular member in said first angular position for discharging a stream of liquid from said dispensing outlet and being adapted to deliver substantially all of its liquid flow to said by-pass return outlet when in its second angular ing a part overlying at least a portion of the inlet end of said tubular member to define a narrow gap therebetween, said plate having another part with a surface thereof closely spaced from an adjacent surface of said one wall of said housing, said another part being adapted to experience liquid flow thereacross during at least the initial movement of said nozzle from said first angular position to said second angular position for creating a pressure differential between said narrow gap and the closely spaced surfaces of said one wall and said plate to draw collected liquid droplets from said tubular member.

6. A dispensing head for selectively delivering accurately measured quantities of a liquid comprising a housing having an inclined lower wall, a dispensing outlet formed by a tubular member extending through said lower wall contiguous to an upper end thereof, a bypass return outlet formed at the lower end of said wall, a nozzle supported within said housing at a spaced location a'bove said lower wall and adapted to discharge a continuous stream of liquid in said housing, means supporting said nozzle for selective pivotal movement between a first angular position wherein said nozzle registers with an inlet end of said tubular member for dispensing a stream of liquid from said dispensing outlet and a second position wherein said nozzle delivers all of its liquid flow to said by-pass return outlet, and a plate affixed within said housing and overlying said lower wall, said plate having a first part overlying at least a portion of the inlet end of said tubular member on the side adjacent to said by-pass return outlet to define a narrow gap therebetween, said plate having another part with an edge thereof closely spaced from an adjacent portion of said lower wall, an upper surface of said plate being adapted to experience liquid flow thereacross during at least the initial pivotal movement of said nozzle from said first position to said second position, the liquid flowing across said upper surface being adapted to create a pressure difierential between adjacent surfaces of said plate and said lower wall and said narrow gap to draw collected liquid droplets from said tubular member into said by-pass return outlet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1964- Magnuson 2223l8 X 8/1953 Coleman 222318 

1. A DISPENSING HEAD FOR SELECTIVELY DELIVERING ACCURATELY MEASURED QUANTITIES OF A LIQUID COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A DISPENSING OUTLET AND A BY-PASS RETURN OUTLET, A NOZZLE SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AT A SPACED LOCATION FROM SAID OUTLETS AND ADAPTED TO DISCHARGE A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF LIQUID IN SAID HOUSING, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID NOZZLE FOR SELECTIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, SAID NOZZLE BEING IN REGISTRY WITH SAID DISPENSING OUTLET IN SAID FIRST POSITION FOR DISCHARGING A STREAM OF LIQUID FROM SAID DISPENSING OUTLET AND BEING ADAPTED TO DELIVER SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF ITS LIQUID FLOW TO SAID BY-PASS RETURN OUTLET WHEN IN ITS SECOND POSITION, AND MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN SAID DISPENSING OUTLET AND A POINT CONTIGUOUS TO SAID BY-PASS RETURN 